HORSE MEAT SCANDAL IN EUROPE SPREADING

The French and British governments promised on Saturday to punish those found responsible for selling horse meat in beef products at the heart of a growing scandal that started in Britain but is quickly spreading to France.

French Consumer Affairs Minister Benoit Hamon said an investigation had found that the horse meat had originated in Romania, although there were links with French, Dutch and Cypriot firms and a factory in Luxembourg.

British Environment Minister Owen Paterson said more cases of contaminated food could emerge as British retailers conducted tests for horse meat on processed beef products. The scandal threatens to affect consumer confidence in Europe’s giant food industry, with pressure rising for greater checks.

The British unit of frozen foods group Findus began a recall last week of its beef lasagna from retailers on advice from its French supplier, Comigel, over concerns that some packs contained high levels of horse meat.

Findus France said it too had recalled lasagna and two other products after discovering that they included horse meat from Romania rather than beef from France as it had thought.

Hamon said an EU-wide alert had been sent out and it wasn’t clear whether there had been an intentional fraud or the meat had been sold as beef by accident. “I can assure you that, whether it’s a question of negligence or direct responsibility, there will be sanctions,” Hamon said on iTele television.

Findus France Director General Matthieu Lambeaux said in a statement the company would file a legal complaint on Monday.

“We thought we had certified French beef in our products. But in reality, we were supplied with Romanian horse meat. We have been deceived,” Lambeaux said. In Britain, Findus said it believed the contamination was deliberate.